The Portland daily press., 1887-07-08
PERSONAL AND PECULIAR.

Miss.
Whitelaw Reid, who has been dangerously
i'll for several weeks, has gone to California
on his doctors advice, and will remain dur
ing the summer He suffers from asthma.
Emperor Dom Pedro of Brazil is said to be
losing his mind. His memory has nearly
left him, and he has lost in great measure
his former capacity for dealing with admin
istratiye affairs.
Since President Cleveland's unfortunate
affair with the battle flags, he has concluded
that it is more prudent to consult with Gen.
eral Sheridan than to allow Adjutant Gener-
al Drum to direct the affairs of the war de-
partment
report having been started that Queen
Victoria would give six guineas and a silver
cradle to every child born on jubilee day, no
less than 400 applications, accompanied with
certltcates of birth, have been lodged with
her majesty
Mlle Van Zandt has done more than
graceful act in singing 81 600 into the Golfers
OF the fund for the benefit of the families of
the victims Of the terrible fire at the Paris
Opera Comique, for it was from the stage of
tnat play house that she was Kissed and
hooted about two years ago.
The Pail Mall Gazette describes Mr.. Lewis
Morris as the lieutenant laureate" and is
OF the opinion that this rising poet will be-
come full laureate when Lord Tennyson dis
appears. The Gazette regards Mr. Swim
burne as the only rival whom Mr. Morris
may fear.
The only member of the late Horace Gree
ley's family now living is his daughter,
Miss Gabrielle M. Greeley, who four years
ago bought her fathers house and farm of
o2 acres at Chapaqua for $4,000 and now re-
sides there in company with two female
friends.
The Importance Of a trustworthy automat-
ic coupler for railroad cars-one that is low
priced and cannot be put out of order-is in
dictated in the estimate made two years ago.
on statistical basis, that the old link-and-pin
coupler kills 459 persons, and severely in
1ures 1870 every year.
So far as is known, Mr.. Jay Gould has
made his first public benefaction. Learning
on recent visit to Mount Vernon that a
tract of 334 acres on the northern side, near
the Washington mansion, was needed to
protect the property from encroachment, Mr.
Gould authorized the purchase at his ex-
pense, and 1t has been DONE
Chauncey M. Depew has been made a
member of the Grand Army. Lafayette post
of New York discovered that Mr.. Depew
was adjutant of the Eighteenth regiment of
the National Guard when in 1862 it was or
dered to the front at the time of Lees inva-
sion of Pennsylvania. This qualified Mr..
Depew for regular membership.
The statue of Gen. Burnside by Launt
Thompson was unveiled at Providence
on the Fourth. 1t stands at one end
of the great square by the railroad sta
ton, facing the soldiers monument and the
city hall at the other end. The general sits
easily upon horse standing with his four
feet on the ground. The animal is supposed
to be one-half or three-quarters bred.
Gen. Sheridan is man with SO many de-
mands upon his time that he cannot spend
his summer quietly as he would wish. He
enjoys his life at New Nonquitt, the little
seashore retreat near New Bedford, where
he will go later in the season, but he was
oDllged to return from Saratoga to Washing
Ton last week, and as he is President of the
Chicago Jockey Club he is to spend a few
weeks in that city during the summer.
President Cleveland is not fond of the
man who calls at the White House only to
pay his respects. Recently one of these
courteous individuals sent in his card to Mr..
Cleveland for the 10th time in half an hour.
hiu WAOtC III pCUCll btldL lie Qlu NOT want
ofhce. The President remarked: 81 would
much sooner see this man if he did want an
once, Tor then ne would have something to
talk about"
An interesting engagement just reported is
that of Joseph Anderson, brother of Mary
Anderson, the actress, to Miss Gertrude Bar
rett, second daughter of Lawrence Barrett,
the tragedian. Both of the contracting par
files wall I'm,
United States. Mr.. Anderson is a tall.
handsome young man, and he has had con-
siuefaDle social success in London. His
specially is fashionable clothing.
Ever since the time of George Washington.
Howard Fox has been United States con-
sui at Falmouth, England. The present oc-
cupant of the position was commissioned by
President Grant in 1874. The Fox family is
english, and they cling to the Office with
true Brush conservatism. There is no sal
airy attached to the position, and the fees are
about 94O annually. The consul ALWAYS
spends more than that entertaining Ameri-
cans.
Everybody has noticed the falling off in
most OF the best brands of cigars. This de-
terioration is said to date fromIthe imposition
OF the duty on cigars by weight, instead of
by number. The manufacturers are making
the cigars weigh less by leaving out more
and more of the filling, Some imported eli
gars are now as light as straws, and have
about as much flavor The government does
niot gam anything by the tax on weight, and
the smokers lose considerably.
Mr.. William K. Vanderbilt's steam yahct
AVA VIII weigh anchor on the morning of
July 2, and start on her long cruise around
the world. She will first steam up to the
foot of West Forty-sec0nd street. where her
owner with his family and friends will go on
board, after which she will put to sea. The
yacht will cross the Atlantic, go up the Med
iterranean Sea and through the Suez Canal.
Thence along the Pacific coast, touching at
all the prominent ports. Malta will be the
irst port at which the Alva will stop.
The British War Department has been ex-
perimenting with the multicycle veil cipede.
a modification OF the quadricycle known as
the ''four-in-hand." 1t is worked by twelve
men, placed like rowers in race beats, one of
whom acts as cox-swain. The pedals and
movements are SO connected as to permit
uniform movements of all parts of the ma
chlnery. speed OF twelve to sixteen miles
an hour has been obtained over country of
varied surface, and including narrow and
crooked roads,
IL Is said that Sir George Otto Trevelyan
was refused an invitation to Westminster
ABBEY ON Tuesday. After Sir George, who
was a liberal unionist, denounced the coer-
clon measure as political and not a crimes
Dill, he Immediately felt the force of British
s,osiety-which turned upon him with sipgu-
laa seselr;ity. IL mas also been observed that
men OF literature and science, like Robert
Browning, Matthew Arnold and Prof Inv
ley, were not offered seats in the abbey.
The Atlantic Monthly publishes a curious
statement, which will be new to the most of |
The present generation, to the effect that Sir
Walter Scott forgot everything that was in |
three OF his novels" Ivanhoe," "The Bride |
'f Lammermoor" and "a Legend of Mon |
,rose"-in the time that interviewed between
heir composition and their appearance in |
print. 1t seems that they were Composed |
lnder dictation and in great pain, succeeded |
~ severe and nearly fatal illness, from |